


I Tell Myself Lies No One Else Wants to Hear

by drifterskip, tobimonkee



Category: House M.D.
Genre: Boys Kissing, M/M, MRI OF DOOM, Roommates, Season/Series 07
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-04
Updated: 2015-02-04
Packaged: 2018-03-10 12:11:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3289883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drifterskip/pseuds/drifterskip, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobimonkee/pseuds/tobimonkee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For once, Foreman kissed Taub first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Tell Myself Lies No One Else Wants to Hear

**Author's Note:**

> tobimonkee: This was written during season 7 of House and originally posted on LJ.
> 
> drifterskip: Though we haven't changed anything since its initial posting years ago, I'm still glad to see it here. It features an uncommon pairing... one we rather enjoyed speculating about.

For once, Foreman kissed Taub first.

If anyone asked him why -- even if Chris asked him why he had initiated this kiss where someone could see them when so often Taub was the one to demonstrate affection in the privacy of the apartment he thinks of as theirs -- Foreman would have said that he was tired of always wondering when the rest of the team was going to find out about them. He just wanted to get it over with. And showing, in Eric Foreman’s book, in this particular instance, is infinitely preferable to telling.

That’s the excuse he has ready in case someone asks.

The real reason that he would never admit -- maybe not even to himself -- is that Taub stood up to House and insisted that they give the patient an MRI. House said no; Taub said yes and kept saying yes until he got his way. This is why he won’t cop to it: he does not want to be so far gone that he finds the act of standing up to House... hot.

So when he and Taub are alone in the control alcove attached to the MRI room, he can’t help but kiss him. Foreman has a reputation to maintain, even though he’s pretty sure House knew about them long before this, even if he had been mocking them for living together before they were together this way. In the second between when the door closes behind them and when he leans down to kiss Taub, he decides that the reason he’s doing this now is because he wants to get caught so they don’t have this specter hanging over their relationship anymore. He says all that to himself to rationalize, so he doesn't have to admit that he cares as much as he does. Caring can be dangerous. The rationalization he’s prepared is much safer. He’s just waiting for someone to ask so he can give them that well-constructed reason.

No one ever asks. They probably don’t even think of it by the time everything blows over, because shortly after the door closes and Foreman starts kissing Taub... the door opens again just enough for Chase to begin making a video of them on his phone. It’s a good kiss, one that Taub will think about later, wondering if they looked like a real couple on film. The kiss ends when they hear Chase come in to the room to get a better angle. Then the room is in chaos as Taub tries to get the phone and Chase holds it above his head, the very image of a schoolyard bully lording something over the smallest child. Foreman stands stock-still, gives Chase a death glare. Rounding out the moment as only she can, Masters chooses that exact moment to walk in to check on the MRI’s progress.

She is still new enough to the insanity that is life on House’s team to ask, “What’s going on?”

Instead of answering, Chase shows her the video and her giggly teenage girl response leads Foreman and Taub to both tell her, “Shut up!” at the same time. Of course, to their combined horror, she finds that even more adorable.

At least now Foreman is able to use her as a distraction to grab the phone from Chase and finally delete the video, tossing the phone back to his colleague with another patented glare.

Unfazed, Chase’s parting shot is to tell them, “You won’t be able to keep it a secret from House much longer, you know. And that’s if he doesn't know already.” He puts up his hands in a defensive ‘don’t shoot the messenger’ pose and backs out of the room with Masters in tow, as she continues to look at the couple like she wants to give some sort of speech about solidarity and acceptance and love or something equally annoying.

In the end, the only one Foreman has to use that marvelous excuse on is himself. Taub doesn't ask him about it, not even when they get home, and Foreman is left to wonder about why he kissed Taub first, about which reason he’s more afraid of. Is it the well thought-out series of not-exactly lies... or the simple truth?


End file.
